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GMKtec NucBox M5 Ultra AMD Ryzen™ 7 7730U Mini PC vs NiPoGi AK1PLUS Celeron N5095 Mini PC

Researched, not hands-on tested.How we review ›

all judged against mini PCs at a similar price

The GMKtec NucBox M5 Ultra AMD Ryzen™ 7 7730U Mini PC scores 7.0/10 overall, ahead of the NiPoGi AK1PLUS Celeron N5095 Mini PC at 4.3/10.

The GMKtec NucBox M5 Ultra AMD Ryzen™ 7 7730U Mini PC leads on CPU performance, upgradeability, networking and ports and expansion.

The NiPoGi AK1PLUS Celeron N5095 Mini PC leads on efficiency and noise.

They score the same on build and support.

The biggest difference is upgradeability, where the GMKtec NucBox M5 Ultra AMD Ryzen™ 7 7730U Mini PC scores 9/10 to the NiPoGi AK1PLUS Celeron N5095 Mini PC's 4/10.

GMKtec NucBox M5 Ultra AMD Ryzen™ 7 7730U Mini PC

GMKtec NucBox M5 Ultra AMD Ryzen™ 7 7730U Mini PC

7.0/10verdict: buy

The NucBox M5 Ultra suits homelabbers who want an 8-core Ryzen 7 in a small box with two 2.5GbE ports. It also suits buyers who plan to add RAM and storage over time. It is a weaker fit for anyone who needs quiet running, fast external ports or high-settings gaming.

Typically about £289.99 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

Scores, criterion by criterion

CriterionWeightGMKtec NucBox M5 Ultra AMD Ryzen™ 7 7730U Mini PCNiPoGi AK1PLUS Celeron N5095 Mini PC
CPU performance25%8/104/10
Upgradeability20%9/104/10
Networking20%8/104/10
Efficiency and noise15%4/105/10
Ports and expansion10%5/104/10
Build and support10%5/105/10
Overall7.0/104.3/10

Specifications

SpecGMKtec NucBox M5 Ultra AMD Ryzen™ 7 7730U Mini PCNiPoGi AK1PLUS Celeron N5095 Mini PC
CPUAMD Ryzen 7 7730U, 8 cores / 16 threads, base 2.0GHz, boost up to 4.5GHz, 4MB L2 / 16MB L3 cacheIntel Celeron N5095, 4 cores/4 threads, up to 2.9 GHz burst, 4 MB L3 cache, Intel UHD Graphics 16 EU
Memory2 x SO-DIMM slots, DDR4 3200 MT/s, dual-channel, 16GB or 32GB pre-installed depending on configuration16GB (type conflicting: LPDDR4 or DDR4)
StoragePCIe 3.0 M.2 2280 SSD, 512GB pre-installed in the 16GB configuration; 1TB in the 32GB configuration256GB M.2 SSD
NetworkingDual 2.5G Ethernet (2 x RJ45, Realtek RTL8125); Wi-Fi 6E (RZ616, up to 2.4Gbps); Bluetooth 5.21 x RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth (4.2, 5.0 or 5.2 conflicting)
Maximum memory64GB (2 x 32GB)not listed
Storage slots2 x M.2 slots; slot 1 supports SATA and PCIe, slot 2 supports PCIe only; max 8TB per slot, 16TB total1 x M.2 slot (SATA and NVMe PCIe), 1 x 2.5 inch SATA3.0 SSD bay
Ports2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (front), 2 x USB 2.0 (rear), 1 x USB-C USB 3.2 Gen 2 with DP/PD (front), 1 x HDMI 2.0 (4K@60Hz), 1 x DisplayPort (up to 8K@60Hz), 3.5mm audio jack, DC power input, 2 x 2.5G Ethernet2 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A, 2 x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1 x DC input, 2 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x 1/8 inch audio jack
Power drawManufacturer TDP modes: Silent 10W, Balanced 15W, Performance 35W (peak 35W); DC 19V / 3.42A adapter15 W (listing figure, not measured)

Strengths and weaknesses

GMKtec NucBox M5 Ultra AMD Ryzen™ 7 7730U Mini PC

  • + Dual 2.5GbE suits Proxmox and NAS use
  • + Two SO-DIMM slots, 64GB maximum
  • + Two M.2 slots, 16TB total
  • − Owners report fan noise in Performance mode
  • − 85–90°C reported under sustained load
  • − No USB4, Thunderbolt or OCuLink

Skip it if:

  • Buyers who need a quiet machine running at full load
  • Anyone wanting USB4, Thunderbolt or OCuLink for fast external devices
  • Gamers who want high-settings AAA titles
Read the full GMKtec NucBox M5 Ultra AMD Ryzen™ 7 7730U Mini PC review ›

NiPoGi AK1PLUS Celeron N5095 Mini PC

  • + Two HDMI 2.0 outputs for dual-display setups
  • + M.2 slot plus a 2.5 inch SATA bay
  • + Owners call it good value at entry level
  • − Four-core Celeron with limited processor headroom
  • − Gigabit Ethernet only, with no faster option
  • − No USB4, Thunderbolt or OCuLink

Skip it if:

  • Buyers who want to run several virtual machines or heavy workloads
  • Homelabbers who need faster-than-gigabit or multiple network ports
  • Anyone who needs USB4, Thunderbolt or OCuLink for fast external devices
Read the full NiPoGi AK1PLUS Celeron N5095 Mini PC review ›

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